A Travel Journal of A Path to Wellness

Keeping the Christmas Cheer

I love Christmas time. The carols, the lights; they bring a joy into my heart that I could soak in forever. The rest of the year is just sort of blah. And alas, with February closing in fast, it was definitely time to take down the last remnants of yuletide cheer, the wreath.

A wreath on a front door seems warm and welcoming to me. It says, home is where my heart is and I welcome you in! A wreath also symbolizes eternity (I learned that from religion class) and being a newlywed, I like being reminded that the man I promised forever to is in our home waiting for me. Yes, I get all that from a wreath! Of course even evergreen eventually dies and once the wreath came down, life just started to feel regular again. And regular isn’t good enough for me. Fortunately I am resourceful (thanks dad) and creative (thanks mom).

The Christmas wreath I bought way back in December for about $12 had a great metal frame which, although the pine needles that adorned it were dry and yellowing, definitely had some life left in it. I made a trip around our yard to see if I could find some appropriate branches to replace the tennanbaum remnants.

We’ve got this tree which I believe is eucalyptus. I could be wrong. I probably am. But since the majority of my bridal bouquet (see above) was made of seeded eucalyptus, it makes me happy to believe that’s what it is. The leaves have turned a beautiful green and the seeds a really pretty purple. Perfect!

I got out my sheers and went to work cutting back some of the branches which were clearly overgrown. Twenty minutes later I had a gorgeous new wreath and I much brighter yard.

Voila!

It was so easy to make. I’m sure I’ll be able to use the frame again and again. Not bad for 12 dollars.

Here’s a brief run-down of what I did….

1 – Use pliers to pull back the metal teeth (that’s what I’m calling them b/c I don’t know what they are called.)

2 – remove old branches

3 – cut new branches to desired size and width. Mine as you can see are about a foot but you can make them smaller, as long as they fit into the teeth.

4 – Lay the branches overlapping around the circle.

5 – Tuck the last branch under the first one and close all the teeth and them.

5 – Enjoy the beauty that is your creation!

There’s a picture on Pinterest (feel free to follow me there) that I’ve seen a few times. It says, “Breath, you’re home.” Hmm…makes you think.

While I’m always happy to be home, I do occasionally bring the stress from the outside world through our door. Without having a sign that blatantly tells me to chill, I’d like to think this simple wreath can be my reminder that I’m home now, safe and sound, it’s warm and cozy inside, and my loved one is waiting for me! Kinda sounds like Christmas right?! Here’s to keeping the cheer year round!

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2 thoughts on “Keeping the Christmas Cheer”

What a beautiful wreath! I actually threw out my christmas wreath (with the metal frame) a few weeks ago and now I”m so mad I didn’t keep it!!! Though…I don’t have a nice garden to go cut anything and make a new one. I’m super impressed that you were able to reuse this frame so beautifully! I agree about wreaths…they are so warm and welcoming. I never know what kind of wreath to hang this time of year – not christmas, not quite spring, what kind of wreath??!!

Thank you. It was a lot of fun to make and the wire is strong so I know it will hold up for many seasons to come. I agree. I worried about it looking Christmas-y. This time of year is tough if you live in a colder climate but a winter twig wreath with a few accents would be perfect!

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Hi! I'm Laura. A thirty-something, self-employed, wife and mother just trying to enjoy life in this nutty world. I'm not always perfect and neither are my habits, but life is a journey and I'm on a path to wellness